The Elders (Mind Dimensions #4)(77)

“Nothing is certain,” Mimir interjects. “But I’m fairly sure the Super Pusher is one of these four.”

“Oh, come on, kid,” Daleb adds. “You already know who he is. On some level, you’ve known since all this shit went down.”

He’s right, but I haven’t wanted to admit it, because admitting it would mean I’ve been taken for a fool.

Since I can’t hide my thoughts from the two Omnis anyway, I allow the thought to surface in my mind.

“It’s George, isn’t it?”





Chapter 25





“Don’t be so hard on yourself, kid,” Daleb thinks at me. “It could’ve been anyone.”

“It only became apparent after his double cross.” Though Mimir’s thoughts are attempting to soothe me, I’m getting more and more livid.

“It was George who suggested that each of us walk with five or six cops,” I think, as much for my own benefit as the Omnis’. “The f*cker did it so he could kill me once he got the one thing he needed from me: the Temple’s location.”

“Right.” Daleb’s synapses shine a little brighter as I perceive his thought in my mind. “The Enlightened must’ve been his target all along.”

“But why?” I let my Level 2 vision move from the giant network that is Mimir to the smaller one that is Daleb. “He works for the Elders. He’s an Ambassador. He should want what they want. I’m pretty sure they weren’t lying to me about wanting peace. Frederick especially.”

“You’re right.” Daleb’s thoughts are surprisingly serious now. “I don’t think the Elders ordered this. George is clearly acting on his own. As to why, that’s something I’m wondering too. Maybe my brainier brother has a clue?”

“I don’t have a lot.” Mimir’s mini-universe is on fire now. I’m not used to seeing him so bright in front of me. “If I did, I would’ve known George was our man, and I would’ve warned Darren when he was in Frederick’s Nirvana. However, I can venture a guess as to his motivations. Mary, a woman who hates Guides, raised him. He’s a fairly traditional man, someone who places emphasis on family values. That and his close association with Hillary’s parents link him to the Traditionalists.”

“Family values, my foot,” I think and wonder whether my neurons are also red with anger. “He’s a hypocrite. I’m his family, and he wants to kill me.”

“He probably sees it as a necessary evil,” Mimir replies.

“There’s another clue.” Daleb’s thought feels almost excited. “Caleb thought George was acting like the leader of Kate’s team. He’s insightful when he wants to be, that Caleb, and in this case, he was right. George is in charge. He’s using his fellow Guides as puppets.”

“Now that I think about it, other little things are also falling into place,” I think, again half for me, half for them. “Like the way his eyes lit up when I mentioned the Enlightened.”

“Mentioning them probably saved your life,” Mimir adds. “Otherwise, he might’ve had Hillary stab you in the back or would’ve done it himself in her parents’ house.”

“My life was saved at the cost of so many others.” I finally figure out what’s really been bothering me and think, “He used me.”

“He did use you, but now it’s backfiring.” Daleb’s thought is not as soothing as Mimir’s, but he’s clearly trying. “Him using you made sure he brought you here, and now you’re undoing the damage he’s created. All the death that’s happened is on his head, not yours.”

“I should’ve seen it, somehow.” I mentally lash myself. “He had a black kimono on, before he took me to see Mary.”

“So did the majority of the guests on the Island,” Mimir points out.

“He was surprised when he saw me for the first time,” I counter.

“It could’ve just as easily been Hillary who surprised him,” Daleb retorts.

“My boss, Bill, mentioned that George was the Ambassador from New Jersey,” I think more calmly this time. “That puts him near enough to New York, near enough to have been pulling Kyle’s strings. And speaking of Kyle, George was probably at the f*cker's funeral—that would explain why Anne was upset he was leaving so soon. He must've arrived just before us with his private plane.”

“He did something that threw you off—something that threw us all off,” Mimir thinks with a hint of something like shame. “He taught you how to Teleport.”

“Yes,” I realize. “The bastard even openly admitted that he was teaching me so I would trust him.”

“It was pretty clever,” Daleb thinks. “He thought you wouldn’t survive long enough to master the skill, but teaching it to you made you trust him.”

“Except, ironically, it’s thanks to that skill that I’m alive,” I think. “When I saw the flare, I phased in and randomly ended up a few feet away from the cops with a good view of what they’d been Guided to do. There was a very good chance they would’ve shot me in the back had George not taught me how to Teleport.”

“And he underestimated you in general,” Mimir adds. “It’s a mistake many have lived to regret.”